Dwight Howard Trade Options

After another embarrassing loss for the Rockets and rumors circling about Dwight Howard being once again unhappy, it opens up speculation about a trade. The Rockets have been a tough team to watch this year and firing McHale doesn’t seem to have solved any problems. They’ve gone 0-3 against the 11-14 Nuggets and were swept by the 7-17 Nets. With championship aspirations you simply cannot lose to these teams. After losing by double digits to a Rondoless Kings, something needs to change. So let’s explore some possible trade scenarios for the Houston Rockets.

One possibility would be sending Dwight Howard and Montrezl Harrell to Miami in exchange for Josh McRoberts and the expiring contracts of Luol Deng and Chris Andersen. Along with the players the Rockets would get the Heat’s 2017 first round pick. This would allow the Rockets to maintain their cap space and turn Dwight Howard into a first round pick before he opts-out of his contract for free agency.  This would immediately benefit the Heat as they would be able to cycle out Howard and Whiteside to keep a dominant center on the court at all times.

Another possible destination for the disgruntled center is Washington. Washington could use some change after a poor first quarter of the season and Howard would provide them with a dominant rim protector. In this scenario, the Warriors would receive Howard in exchange for Nene Hilario, Alan Anderson and Gary Neal, along with a top-10 protected 2016 first round pick. This deal is attractive for both sides, as Howard could propel the Wizards to a playoff spot and would solidify their defense. It would be a good move for Houston because they would get a first round pick that they could most likely cash in immediately after this season and all the players that they would receive are on expiring deals.

The dream scenario for me is a trade with the Knicks. The Rockets would deal Howard, Sam Dekker, and a lottery protected 2017 first round pick for Carmelo Anthony. This deal is excellent for New York as they can get rid of Melo’s contract while adding an intriguing young piece in Sam Dekker. This would help the Knicks in their rebuilding process and would allow them to explore free agency this off-season. It has become clear that free agents don’t see Melo as a guy they can win with and this probably won’t change this off-season. The move would provide the Rockets with a deadly scoring duo of Carmelo Anthony and James Harden. It’s highly unlikely that this would lead to playoff success for Houston, but it would be awesome for fans to watch. Just imagine the two all-stars fighting over touches. If there’s anyone in the league that would make this trade it would be Daryl Morey.

Grayson Gold-Garvey, Twitter @TheGraygo